Asami deals with Korra's absence
by moomacow
Summary: Asami thinks about Korra and her adventurous days.


It had been two years since Asami last saw Korra. She kept herself busy to distract herself from the Avatar's absence, but her thoughts always strayed back to her. She cleaned up her desk, ready to head upstairs to her office (which also doubled as her living quarters). After climbing the stairs and opening the door into her bedroom, she stopped. Her eyes roved over the tidy space, and she was struck by melancholy. Turning away, she reflected upon happier times. Team Avatar could not function without the Avatar. Mako made himself scarce after Korra's departure, and Bolin decided to travel the world in an attempt to make a positive impact on the world. Nothing helped her relax nowadays more than visiting the statue she made in commemoration of her dearest friend, so she locked up and left.

She drove one of her newest Sato mobiles. Equipped with an engine with more than twice the fuel efficiency of anything which dared to compare, she raced off. She easily stayed ahead of the competition by only employing the cream of the crop as assistant engineers. Of course, they recognized her business as the most lucrative option. She valued their fresh takes on her innovative ideas. They were tasked with correcting all the problems of her company's older models. She personally supervized their work and ensured that they lived up to their potentials. Although some of her employees were older than her, they respected her and took her advice, and she theirs. She parked expertly and walked over to a stone bench overlooking Korra's massive statue.

She continued to think about Future Industries to delay what she had really come to ponder. As with any business, there were risks. There was one instance in which a man she never particularly liked stole important blueprints. His mistake: underestimating a Sato. He erroneously thought that she didn't keep careful track of paperwork. She considered contacting the police and Lin, but she decided she hadn't had fun since her thrilling adventures by the Avatar's side. In a bold but unnecessary move, she donned her glove and a mask and went to his apartment. After surveying the immediate area, she picked the lock and walked in. Unsurprisingly, he was a no-show. She picked up a stray paper on the floor, but it yielded no clues. After ruffling the papers on his desk, sorting through his drawers, and checking under his bed (you never know, right?) she decided to stake out his room. Making herself comfortable, but not enough to make her drowsy, she sat on his couch, facing the door.

Her mask was rough; her hands tapped the armrests impatienty; she needed to pee. After knowing she could hold it no longer, she ran to his bathroom and relieved herself. With a sigh, she washed her hands and looked into the dingy mirror. She saw an unhappy woman, devoid of love. She broke eyecontact to inspect a conspicous smudge on the reflective surface. Intrigued, she exhaled onto the mirror and discovered a series of letters. After repeating the action five more times, she was short of breath, but the message was received.

_To-Do List: _

_Steal docs_

_Sell to highest bidder_

_Report to Varrick_

Her eyes narrowed as she read the last word. "Of course," she thought, "he was always a scheming liar and a thief." It seemed an unorthodox place to store critical information, but the man probably had his reasons. She resolved to confront Varrick in the morning. She heard the door slam shut. Whirling around, she stealthily tiptoed down the hall and looked around the corner. Her disgruntled employee looked haggard and worn-out. He sat at his desk and lay his head down and wept. Sympathy arose in Asami; she touched her glove, somewhat disappointed that she would not- could not- use it on the man. With a sigh, she cleared her throat loudly. He panicked and fell out of his chair.

"Who are you?!" he asked.

"Your worst nightmare," she replied with a smirk.

"What do you want?" His hands were raised as if defending himself from accusation. He pressed himself against the wall.

"Since when have you worked for Varrick?"

"Varr- who?" His eyes shifted rapidly side to side.

What he thought was a reassuring smile was in fact a clear indicator of the truth. "Tell me or I'll give you a shock you'll never forget." Her glove sparked to life, crackling in the air.

"You wouldn't hurt an innocent man, Ms. Sato!"

"Oh, so NOW you now who I am? Now, tell me or you'll regret it!" She flung away her mask and took a menacing step forward.

He flinched at her sudden movements. "Okay, okay! Please don't hurt me!"

She inspected her glove and said, "You haven't answered my question."

He shrugged and said, "Well... truth is... I've been spying on you for him for quite some time now. He has some... personal... documents of mine and he threatened to make them public. I fed him false information at first, but he caught on. Obviously, I ain't a great liar." He looked back at Asami for confirmation to continue his story. She nodded.

"Erm... maybe two months ago, I started giving Varrick tips. You know, about your designs. They're great, actually. Young, smart, and beautiful- you've got a hell of a life ahead of you. When I was your age-"

"Don't get off topic."

"Yes ma'am. As I was saying, at first Varrick wanted me to spill the beans about all your activities. Last week he told me to steal files, as many as I could. Yesterday I found my opportunity. I had to, Ms. Sato. I'm sorry for causing you all this trouble." He wrung his hat worriedly. Please don't call the cops on me."

"Do you have a record?"

"...Yes. And my wife will be joining me as soon as I raise enough money to support ourselves here in Republic City. We've been through so much... we can't bear to be seperated longer."

"Hmm. Have you given Varrick the blueprints yet?"

"No, I was supposed to meet him tonight at midnight."

Asami looked at his clock. It was eleven o' clock. "Go."

He looked flabbergasted. "May I ask why?"

With a twinkle in her eye, she replied, "So that he'll be caught red-handed with incriminating evidence."

She was snapped back into the present by a baby turtleduck nipping at her boot. "Oh, hey, little guy!" She placed him on her lap and stroked its fuzzy head contemplatively. "Are you lost?" Here she lifted it to eyelevel and peered into its warm brown eyes. "Don't worry, it's okay to lose our way sometimes. The important thing is to find our way back."

She turned to gaze upon the Avatar's magnificent statue, and whispered, "Come back to me, Korra."

As she got up to leave, she heard tiny footsteps in her wake. The turtleduck seemed to take a liking to her. She chuckled and said, "Alright, you can escort me home. Don't make any moves on me! I'm taken."


End file.
